Janice Carlsen, 78, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 in Taylorsville, Utah. She had been struggling with congestive heart failure and chronic hypoxic respiratory failure for the last few years. Most knew her as Jan or Grandma Carlsen.

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Janice was born October 16, 1941 at her home in South Salt Lake City, Utah to Soren Eskel Peterson Jr. and Luella Alice Rugg. She is the 6th of 9 siblings and 10 half-siblings. She lived a happy childhood, learning to work together, be responsible, and care for others.

Janice was quite the flirt. She was very popular in high school and loved dancing. She graduated from Granite High School where at a dance, she met the love of her life, Willard Charles Carlsen. Jan and Will were too young to be married in Utah, so they eloped to Blackfoot, Idaho on June 25, 1960. They were later married in the Salt Lake City Temple. They had 7 children; Willard Jr. (Billy), Shawn, Ryan and Randy (twins) DeAnn, JoAnna, and Rhonda and one foster-son, Russ Pearson, whom she has always considered her own. This June would have been Jan and Will’s 60th Anniversary.

Janice worked for a while before becoming a mother and homemaker. She was attentive to her children and worked hard to make her house a home of love. She always gave her children the chance to speak their mind as she was a great listener and also gave good sound advice. She had genuine care and concern for all of those around her. Family-friends became family, and you could talk to her about anything, as her door was always open.

She loved camping and boating with her family and had a permanent spot at Echo Reservoir for 20 years. Echo was a cherished family past-time that brought many family members, friends and distant-relatives together thanks to what Jan and Will started so many years ago.

Janice always welcomed you and asked if there was anything you needed or if there was anything she could get for you. She loved to be prepared and always reminded others before they left anywhere to be prepared for emergencies. She enjoyed playing card games, spoons, pinochle and progressive rummy. She enjoyed shopping, going out to eat and she loved a good dessert. Especially, cake and Aunt Jenienne’s brownies with nuts. She enjoyed elegance and beauty in life, but was always happy to find a good deal. She was loving, kind, and generous. She always sacrificed her time for her family and helped them when they were in need.

Janice was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She had a very strong testimony and great faith. She is grateful for the day she learned about her Redeemer. She has said that it takes on new meaning when you know that He lives!

She has always been the glue to her family and we will all miss her tremendously. We know she is happy to be free from the pain she had, and that she is welcomed and excited to see her family in heaven on the other side. We know she will always be watching over us in Spirit and will be waiting for us with loving, open-arms. She loved her family, grand-children, and great-grandchildren more than anything.

She is preceded in death by her parents; Soren Eskel Peterson, Jr., Luella Alice Rugg; her siblings Ladonna Kingston, Ruby Ellen Pollard, Raymond Eskel Peterson, and Viona Fawn Kunz, and her twin sons Ryan Eskel Carlsen, and Randy Scott Carlsen.

She is survived by her husband, Willard Charles Carlsen; her children Willard Dean Carlsen (Marilyn), Shawn Charles Carlsen, DeAnn Marie Hansen (Clifford), JoAnna Luella Turner (Tom), and Rhonda Lee Amicone (Tim); her siblings; Thelma Beth Brown, RoMell Peterson, Jenienne White, and Tom Lynn Peterson (Tommy); 22 grand-children, and 40 great-grandchildren.

“The more the merrier”

A viewing will be held Monday, May 4, 2020 from 9:00am-10:45am at Redwood Memorial Estates, 6500 S. Redwood Rd. West Jordan, Utah 84123. Due to the COVID-19 guidelines, only 20 people will be allowed to participate in the viewing at one time. As people come out, others will be allowed in (personal masks are welcome, but not required).

Funeral Services will commence at 11:00am and will be held outside at the gravesite so that ALL who desire may attend. Some accommodations will be provided; however, we ask that you bring your own camping chair or blanket, if you have one, so that we can accommodate all who want to attend. As Jan would say, “The more the merrier.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you consider a donation directly to the family for the beautiful flowers they have already purchased. To donate, please use the app Venmo, and search @Rhonda-Amicone to donate to Janice's daughter, Rhonda.

For those who may need, there will be an ASL interpreter available at the services.

To participate in the services from your own home via live-stream, the instructions are listed below.

STREAMING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Joining by computer

a. Go to zoom.us in any internet browser

b. Click “join meeting”

c. Enter the meeting id - 8012981564

d. A box will open saying “https://zoom.us wants to open this application”. Click “open zoom”

e. Click “Join with Computer Audio”

f. Click “Mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services

2. Joining by phone or iPad

a. Download the Zoom app

b. Open the app and select “join a meeting”

c. Enter the meeting id - 8012981564

d. Select “join without video”

e. Select “Call using internet audio”

f. Select “mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services.